Morning News Round-Up -- 4.1.10: XXL Round-Up...

We picked the wrong day to slack off yesterday... there were several fun, reoccurring stories that updated yesterday. Where to start?...

A Mercury News poll finds that 62 percent of San Jose voters would approve a baseball stadium for the A's. That's good news for Lew Wolff... But when will MLB make their decision? That's what the Merc Editorial Board would like to know... Word on the street is that the news is forthcoming...

A federal court ruled that San Jose Police Officers did not use excessive force during Mardi Gras 2006 against three San Jose State students... A ray of light in a dark, dark PR year for the San Jose Police Officers...

Club Wet is reopened, but without the fun. No alcohol for 60 days because the State ABC thinks they are running "...a disorderly premise..." Y'think? The City of San Jose figured that out a long time ago. So did the people who were stabbed on the dance floor... Too bad Club Wet's lobbyists don't contribute to the campaigns of ABC members...

$35 million could be generated by a hotel tax in Santa Clara for the 49ers new stadium... hotel owners will have to vote on it first, but this is a slam dunk. (Sorry to mix a basketball metaphor into a football story...)

While we are in Santa Clara... the Merc gives a little ink to the 49ers opponents in today's paper (is it ironic that the story ran on April 1st?)... this has James at Mission City Lantern all worked up and ready to barf...

And while Santa Clara is going to finance part of their stadium with a hotel tax, San Jose is considering funding part of its budget debt with taxes on pot clubs... maybe. They will reconsider the issue in June and perhaps place a pot tax on the November ballot. (Surprising absolutely no one at City Hall, there were only 10 Councilmembers at the meeting when the vote on the pot club was taken... guess which Councilmember wasn't there...)

Folks still love the Jude Barry blacklisted story... seventeen (ok, 5) Watch Doggers forwarded this blog post from Fox & Hound. Most were of the "Cindy Chavez is behind this" camp, while a few were of the "Jude Barry is a snake" camp. The blog post is very much in the "organized labor are thugs" camp and asks the question: "Perhaps Jerry Brown could be added to the “Do Not Patronize” list. It makes more sense to ban him than it does to ban Jude Barry." (Because Jerry Brown wants to limit government, cut workers, etc., etc., etc.) Only 3 Watch Doggers forwarded this posting on CalBuzz.com...

Steve Poizner is having a lot of trouble these days. His run for Governor is stalled... and his book (book?) is pissing people off. Remember, Poizner taught at Mount Pleasant High School after he made a cool billion... now his book bashes Mount Pleasant, much to the chagrin of the folks in the East Side Union High School District.

The Merc Editorial Board says you should vote yes on Proposition 15 -- as it would run a pilot project with public campaign financing for the Secretary of State's race in 2014 and 2018... that is, if the state has any money in 2014...

Scott Herhold at the Merc talks about saving an icon at Moffett... and he isn't talking about Hangar 1, he is talking about the throwing field that you can see from 101...

So you know, Watch Dog has not stopped reading Protect San Jose. It is just a little obvious these days. The City needs to make cuts... Police Officers and Fire Fighters are the largest budget items... they want to avoid cuts... news at 11... If they used their blog to propose something new, that would be one thing, but to harp on "if you cut police officers, bandits will roam the streets" is a little stale... sorry.

Morning News Round-Up -- 1.28.10: 420 on 330...

On March 30th (unfortunately not on April 20th) expect a really cool (and mellow) crowd at San Jose City Hall as the Council discusses what to do with medical marijuana dispensaries in the City. With a seeming wink to 'friends', John Woolfolk, the Merc reporter covering the story, uses the term "haze" in the first sentence. Here's a wink right back...

Speaking of medical... this isn't a good day at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (or the County Building, for that matter)... VMC was one of three Bay Area hospitals fined for "...safety violations that put patients at risk of serious injury or death..."

Another Scott Herhold column about District Attorney Dolores Carr appears in today's paper about her boycott of a judge. He ends with: "...with her usual tone-deaf style, she's made herself look spiteful..." Look spiteful? (On a separate note, could DA. Carr please send a different photo to the Merc's online folks?)

There is a multi-billion upgrade about to happen with the San Jose Wastewater Treatment Plant (where your poop goes)... this could mean a big piece of land that is now a buffer between the plant and the Bay (where the wastewater eventually goes) could become something different -- which is what today's story is about. Hidden in the story, but well-known at City Hall, is that there will be multi-year rate increases to pay for it all. And there is really no better time for a rate increase than right now...

Some local aviation stories for your reading pleasure:

• A man was arrested for shining a green laser at a Sheriff's helicopter several times... of course, the Sheriff's could easily track him down because they were in a helicopter and he was in a Honda...
• Remember that "plane crash" over the weekend in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Well, it turns out it was a hoax. What kind of jerk?...
• More Hangar One drama... the Navy wants to tear off the 'skin' and leave a big metal structure out there at Moffett Field. Nobody locally wants that to happen and Congresswoman Eshoo is looking for ideas as to what the community would want to do with the structure before anyone asks Congress to fund restoration...

In Palo Alto, they are tackling the big issues: like cracking down on door-to-door magazine sales people... in other words, keep your middle schooler away from my house.

This is weird: A man with a knife robbed a Goodwill in Palo Alto... robbing a Goodwill? Really?

We hate to constantly re-report about crime in Gilroy, but when a gang-related drive-by shooting happens in downtown Gilroy... the Police did make an arrest.

While we are down in South County, the rain has had one positive effect: reservoir levels are up...

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.15.09: Mid-30s and bald...the Hooters' demographic

The Chronicle is encroaching on the Merc's turf, apparently. They have a piece in today's paper about the "Golden Triangle for smart phones..." Cupertino to Mt. View to Sunnyvale.

The DA’s office can’t seem to shake accusations of misconduct. This time, Deputy DA Jaime Stringfield is accused of withholding evidence in a sexual assault case. At risk, letting rapists roam the streets…

A handful of South Bay schools are showing success narrowing the achievement gap between white and Latino students. A big Woof to Mountain View High School, and Bracher, Arbuckle, and Grant Elementary Schools. Now seems like the perfect time for the State to cut millions (billions?) from schools...

The Gilroy Unified School District is back in good financial standing, according to Standard & Poor’s. Superintendent Deborah Flores says she’s “ecstatic about being taken off CreditWatch.” Too bad the same can't be said for this embattled San Mateo County school district (La Honda-Pescadero Unified) on Watch Dog San Mateo's watch list...

San Jose’s City Council may be taking a hit on their pay but the City’s unions aren’t ready to join them. Union leaders are accusing city leaders of asking them to take a “poison pill.” Watch Dog has to guess that the City Council is going to choose between a poison pill and paycheck...

At the heart of San Jose’s labor negotiations stands City Manager Debra Figone. The Merc’s Scott Herhold takes time to offer a portrait of Figone as an unquotable toughie putting reporters to sleep while trying to save money and jobs. (We expect Revealed's response to Herhold's Figone piece as soon as the pnuemonia passes... Get well Revealed.)

Get your telescope ready. NASA wants your help to look for water. Scientists from Mountain View based NASA’s Ames Research Center hope to blow up part of the moon. Scientist Kimberly Ennico anxiously waits for the final decision, looking forward to “making a big splash.”

Speaking of local geek fests… San Jose’s Tech Museum of Innovation celebrated its 10th birthday. Tech Boardmember/Former Cirrus Logic CEO Michael Hackworth says the Museum is past the survival stage which is good news for San Jose, which covers part of the budget.

Hooters in Campbell was the scene of more than just skin over the weekend. An argument that started in the restaurant turned into a stabbing in the parking lot with a “culprit in his mid-30s and bald” jumping into a silver Mercedes to run. Mid-30s and bald, you say? Isn't that the description of every dude at Hooters?

The Merc’s Internal Affairs had some fun this weekend...

• Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr is kinda-sorta-just-a-little helping pass legislation protecting prosecutors from misconduct charges. (Ben Field says thank you...)
• After a slow start, San Jose’s City Council is now playing “Who Gets the Biggest Paycut.” Councilmember Chu must have (finally) read Watch Dog and Herhold...
• Assemblymember Joe Coto is trading big insurance campaign cash for contributions from gambling, alcohol, and tobacco interests. How warm and fuzzy... (Watch Dog predicts Councilmember/candidate Nora Campos will be the big campaign finance winner in Coto's Sacramento assignments...)
• The ACLU’s Skyler Porras has been trying to get a meeting with the Police Officers Assocation's Bobby Lopez for some time. Turns out all she had to do was write a letter saying the POA had the right to do their YouTube video, even though it was "a desperate and obvious attempt to distract from the serious police accountability issues facing this city." (And, yes, video-gate is still up on YouTube.)

Around the Valley, here’s the dish on your local governance…

• The City Council in Santa Clara will discuss "mixed use" - like an amusement park AND a football stadium...
  
• Mountain View’s City Council studies NASA’s plans for Moffett...
• Milpitas Councilmembers will talk about rezoning 9+ acres of McCarthy Ranch for less industry and more shopping...
  
• San Jose’s City Council conducts a hearing on the budget, considers a wage freeze for the operating engineers union, higher health care costs, increasing affordable housing in North San Jose, and $300 million to renovate and expand the McEnery Convention Center...

Two last things...

On the cover of this weekend's Merc was a story about technology companies asking the Obama Administration to intervene with their beef with the Chinese government. The Chinese government is asking tech companies to pre-install censoring software on computers sold in China. Watch Dog had to chime in to let you all know that there is no truth to the rumor that Councilmember Pete Constant is representing the Chinese government on this issue...

In case you Sharks fans missed it, the hockey season ended on Friday night. The Penguins won. Which brings up the local angle: Remember when Boots Del Biaggio owned part of that team?

Morning News Round-Up -- 6.11.09: Festivus for the Rest of Us...

There is one story that pops out in today's news: There is a bronze quail missing from the new Mary Avenue Bicycle bridge in Cupertino. If you see a stolen quail in your travels, please let the police know...

Now, onto less important stuff:

The neighbors surrounding the proposed San Jose A's stadium celebrated Festivus last night. They met for an Airing of Grievances, the ritual passed on from generation to generation during this wonderful holiday. (Feats of Strength is apparently going to happen at the next meeting...) One nice insight from the Mayor, he said he hoped that the territorial rights issues would be addressed over the summer. It looks like a November 2009 ballot could become reality... as the Mayor suggested recently.

Yesterday we covered a new tactic that the DA and the Sheriff are using to go after gangs in Gilroy. At the same time, gangs were reloading and shooting... a 19 year old woman was caught in the cross-fire.

While some NIMBYs are being very NIMBY-y about High Speed Rail (see Palo Alto, Atherton, Menlo Park, etc., etc., etc.) others aren't. Mountain View is in the "aren't" column.

A (relatively) big, new development project got approved yesterday in Palo Alto by the Planning Commissioners. Amazingly enough, folks who live in the area of Palo Alto Bowl also seem supportive of the 4 story hotel and housing development.

Speaking of development... The Greenbelt Alliance put out a report that says that "in-fill" development, rather than sprawl, can address the Bay Area's population growth over the next couple of decades. The Merc Editorial Board likes the idea of in-fill...

Times are not good in local school districts, obviously. Milpitas Unified is the latest to consider cutting most, if not all, of summer school classes and the Mountain View Whisman School District is holding off on putting a bond measure on the ballot until they know the full extent of the State's budget grab...

San Jose Inside wrote up Tony West's Rotary speech on Wednesday -- he apparently rocked the Rotary house. (For historical purposes, we will point you toward Watch Dog's Tony West historical perspective here.)

Ok, so we know that the Navy is in charge of taking the toxic siding off of Hangar One at Moffett. What is less clear, or unclear, is who will pay to replace the siding.

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.17.09: MACSA meet Dolores Carr...

A harsh report confirms that MACSA skimmed/stole $400,000 from teachers at Gilroy’s only charter school. To add to the financial misery, students are underperforming and the schools (there is one in San Jose as well) haven’t met their diversity goals. District Attorney Dolores Carr is noodling over criminal charges, the School District is contemplating yanking the school’s charter. But wait...there's more...The report doesn’t include the $250,000 MACSA skimmed from teachers at San Jose’s Academia Calmecac. Former El Portal office coordinator Lucy Patereau says MACSA’s bad behavior started the day the school opened....expect the damage from this story to reach deep into San Jose politics...

Baseball is in the news...again...Here is the gist: The Giants think they heard good news from MLB Commissioner Bud Selig when he said MLB's stance on the Giants' territorial rights hasn't changed...Lew Wolff probably disagrees. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed waits patiently...

Speaking of education…The Merc’s Editorial Board cheers the collaboration between NASA, Foothill-DeAnza, and UC Santa Cruz to create a $1 billion research/education facility.

Supervisor Dave Cortese envisions arrays of solar panels soaking up the sun, decreasing the County’s energy cost/carbon footprint, and possibly generating revenue. Mike Mendizabal, President of the Milpitas Unified board points out they’re saving millions annually in electricity costs while covering 75% of their energy needs...Have you noticed that since Cortese and Shirakawa become Supervisors the Board is in the news a lot more?...

San Jose Revealed (apparently) spent the weekend reading San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s budget message. Sadly, the somnorific (look it up) did nothing to improve Revealed’s mood. Fair warning to the reader, it’s not the lively, biting Revealed we’re familiar with but a heavy handed grouch.

San Jose Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio blogs for San Jose Inside his solutions for the budget crisis. No surprises. Oliverio wants to generate new revenue with a utility tax and cut costs with a wage reduction.

San Jose Insider/Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph DiSalvo assesses the fiscal benefits for encouraging teachers close to retirement to ditch the classroom. The bottom line: new teachers cost less than those who have been around the block a few times. (On the flip side, they may not be as good in the classroom...)

The Merc’s Scott Herhold is in full-tirade mode about the San Jose Elections Commission. Herhold wants to disband it. (Is this Herhold's way to distract the reader from accusations of bad behavior by former Mayor/Lobbyist Tom McEnery?) Remember, Herhold hate anonymity...

Morgan Hill’s $4 million Third Street Promenade Project could be held up for the simplest of reasons…Morgan Hill declines to assume responsibility should any of the Dasovic family homes they want to work on get destroyed. Speaking mainly in bureaucratic gobblydegook Morgan Hill City Attorney Danny Wan shrugged his shoulders.

It seems like it’s all garbage all the time these days…Gilroy Dispatch Editor’s are urging the County Supervisor’s to just say no to garbage collector GreenWaste's 14% increase. (Good thing Gilroy isn't in San Mateo County -- the Dispatch would have a field day with the Garbage Saga of San Mateo County...)

Gilroy hasn’t seen the last of their gang problem. Friday the 13th included murder, arson, a sawed off shotgun, and a 15 year-old hiding in the bushes. Jason would have been so proud.

Silicon Valley giant Cisco is poised to do battle with longtime (soon to be former) partners HP and IBM by stepping directly into their playpens. Cisco’s John Chambers started the effort 3 years ago calling it Project California: to catch the next wave in the tech revolution.

A trio of teens were tossed in the pokey by the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department. San Jose’s Nicholas Masouris, Sunnyvale's Mitchell Azevedo, and an unnamed teen from Campbell are suspected of a string of auto break-ins netting high end electronics and other goodies.

Morning News Round-Up -- 3.16.09: Great chefs are within SF's territorial rights?

Lew Wolff sent a big raspberry to Oakland on Friday saying thanks for the memories but it’s time for the A’s to hit the road. (Baseball San Jose's blog channeled Sarah Palin's "thanks, but no thanks"...) The move was predicted by former San Jose Insider Jude Barry four years ago. It looks like Barry may have been more prescient than he knew. Inside's Eric Johnson gleefully quotes sports experts Gary Radnich and Bruce Jenkins agreeing with Barry. The Chronicle's Matier & Ross fill us in on who’s fighting to keep the A’s where they are…some heavy hitters. Watch Dog hopes that Senators Boxer and Feinstein remember that folks in Santa Clara County voted for them too (oh yeah, and funded their campaigns...)...

The Merc’s Sal Pizzaro had a yummy task as Iron Chef America hit Silicon Valley. Los Gatos’ Manresa chef (and Michelin 2-star chef) David Kinch whirled around Kitchen Stadium with cabbage as his secret ingredient. In the end, it was Kinch over renowned chef Bobby Flay. The viewing party at Manresa cheered. It is unclear if Senators Boxer and Feinstein think that good chefs are actually within the territorial rights of San Francisco...

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Jay Boyarsky (former candidate for Judge) thinks a surge in anti-gay hate crimes is related to the passage of Proposition 8 -- increased visibility translates to increased “gay-bashing.” No doubt worried straight, white men might feel left out, Boyarsky added "We're not playing political favorites. Certainly, we've had Christian victims of hate crimes."

Speaking of the DA's office. Santa Clara County DA Dolores Carr has to be wondering why she wanted the job of top prosecutor. A national report released by the Innocence Project accuses the DA’s office of improperly investigating crime lab errors. Hoping to make the case that the fox can guard the hen house, DA spin-meister Nick Muyo says it is not true that they can’t properly investigate themselves.

NASA has asked the Navy to pay for re-skinning Hangar One. In exchange, NASA offered to clean up the toxic soup left behind by the Navy. To sweeten the pot for neighbors, NASA announced Friday a collaboration with the Foothill-De Anza Community College District to provide a $1 billion research facility focusing on renewable-energy and resource-conservation. Foothill-De Anza Chancellor Martha Kanter is giddy about the possibilities...

El Camino Hospital officials are starting to dish on their plans to expand services at their new Los Gatos home (the hospital formerly known as Community). Silicon Valley men will be happy to hear a fancy machine that turns kidney stones to dust is in the works. The League of Women Voters has joined forces with El Camino Hospital execs to host a forum at the end of the month.

The Merc’s Internal Affairs is dishing on the goodies our elected take home from their loyal (lobbyist) fans. Senators Elaine Alquist and Joe Simitian enjoyed a spa retreat in Lodi...(hopefully not at the same time). Senator Simitian reported his wife’s business brought in a healthy chunk of change. Assemblymember Joe Coto went to a charity ball courtesy of Verizon and got an unhealthy supply of liquor thanks to Diageo...he must have been preparing for St. Patrick's Day. (Coto should be careful if he plans to drink that stuff in San Jose...)

Prospective candidates hoping to replace San Jose’s Pete Constant should call the San Jose Police Officers Association. They are not happy that one of their own has “turned a deaf ear” to them.

His friends call him the Don Quixote of San Jose’s Clock Tower, but Naglee Park resident John Mitchell is determined to see his 30 year obsession brought to a happy conclusion. The tower, built in 1892, stopped working in 1906 when that pesky earthquake toppled the tower. (How very Back to the Future...) Mitchell calls it the heartbeat of San Jose. It is unclear if the clock tower would need to 1.21 gigawatts to get going again...

There’s more than green beer on tap this week. Plan on a busy Council/Board week around the Valley...

• San Jose’s City Council will hear the Mayor’s budget message. (You’ll need lots of green beer for this one...)
• Cupertino’s Fremont Union High School District goes over their financials and meets with students...no doubt to ready them for the grim news ahead.
• The Alum Rock Union School District will consider a teachers' contract, talk about closing Pala Middle School, and revisit their policies on small schools (probably hoping to make them much bigger)...
• Palo Alto Unified School District discusses budgets for remodeling, contracts, high school master plans, and staff reductions.
  

Speaking of Palo Alto...

You could sort of see this coming if you read this and this...but the community-wide, Palo Alto broadband project may be quickly dying. Palo Alto has no money and the company that was going to do the project, Axia Netmedia Corporation, doesn't really want any part of it anymore either...

You'll remember last-week's perfectly timed study by Stanford showing that its hospital expansion projects would bring in $18 million to the City of Palo Alto coffers. The timing was perfect because Stanford and Palo Alto had a meeting about the impacts/benefits of Stanford's development this week. Now, Palo Alto would like to see more of the "community benefits" that Stanford could/should/will do in order to get Palo Alto to stand back from its adversarial position...

Morning News Round-Up – 01.16.09: Inaugration Weekend Edition...

The Drunk Task Force met for the first time last night, sans liquid refreshments. Silicon Valley Democratic Latino Forum’s Pete Carrillo said there might be a reason 57% of those arrested might be Latino, “But, I haven’t heard it.” Chief Rob Davis defended the practice as a way to keep drunks from committing more crimes. Accusations of arresting large numbers of the (un)drunk, not bothering with breathalyzers, and not having a sobering station have led members of the Task Force to ask for an audit. Perhaps the fired "Independent" Police Auditor would do such things if she didn't have to clean out her desk. The Davis Defense last night appears to signal combative days ahead -- and perhaps for the next 6 months...

New San Jose Councilmember Rose Herrera has barely started her job and already grumpy constituents are feeding stories to local blogs. According to the author on San Jose Revealed, Herrera is talking big at the District 8 Community Roundtable about bulldozing the Village Square unless her 18th floor colleagues get busy sending jobs her way.

Moffett's Hangar One might be recovered after all…NASA Ames Deputy Director Lew Braxton reported only hours after the Navy talked of skinning Hangar One. There are two prospective clients who could share the cost of rehab. The future house-guest – an airship of course.

Watch Dog is happy to report that among its many readers is….The Fly from Metro and San Jose Inside – or so it would seem with Inside's posting today “Ta-tas in Garlicville.” Inside pulled a quote from Gilroy Dispatch letter writer James Fennell that Garlic Ta-Ta’s would allow local girls to show their wares.

Gilroy voters passed Measure P last year – this will allow for a more than $173 million investment in area schools over the next ten years. In the works are upgrades and additions for existing schools, still under discussion is the possibility of a new school...

It’s the first thing you hear when meeting friends/coworkers: Are you going? Today the Merc. provides a short list of Silicon Valley’s contribution to the growing crowds in D.C.. Tony Alexander, a local labor political director, still doesn’t have enough tickets for the numerous balls – Watch Dog tip, call Phaedra. Dr. Norman Banks was invited by former patient Prof. Paula Messina – and will be covering a bet made years ago with an old friend. From the Redwood Middle School to the heads of Symantec, eBay, Oracle, and Google everyone who could get a ticket will be heading East soon.

In case you missed it, check out Watch Dog's coverage of Tesla packing up their San Jose tent...

Morning News Round-Up – 1.12.09: Manny Diaz for Secretary of Commerce?

Watch Dog San Mateo was way ahead of the City of San Jose in sniffing out recycling pilferers...But San Jose wants you on the hunt as well. San Jose leaders plan to stop would-be thieves from stealing recycling/money from the pros by asking you to turn in scavengers. Add this to your list of things the City wants you to patrol for. The list now includes watching to see if your neighbors are lighting a winter fire or an any other way are violating City codes. Perhaps we should all ask Mayor for a pay increase. Or at least a bonus to our pensions...

East Side Union High School District appointed Eddie Garcia for his second (unelected) stint on the Board. This is not a surprise -- it was a done deal a long time ago. What is surprising is the appointment was unanimously supported. Trustee Frank Biehl had originally supported Barbara Boone but gave in when three of his colleagues indicated support for Garcia. (Frank Biehl...a profile in courage...) Garcia faces yet another election in 2010, if he loses that one who will be there to get him re-appointed? Don't worry about Mr. Garcia though, he has landed a plum job as Supervisor George Shirakawa's Chief of Staff at the County. (Care to guess what a Chief of Staff at the County makes?) So, Garcia has Shirakawa to thank for this paycheck and his unelected political office -- the George and Eddie Show continues...

San Jose’s City Council will discuss a dollar for dollar match of Redevelopment funds with money from area hotels hoping to cash in on an expansive new convention center. With a little luck, the famously ugly blue tent will disappear along with the old library. The first City Council meeting of the year will also welcome newcomers Ash Kalra and Rose Herrera. Planning Commission Chair Jim Zito says of his former colleague "[Kalra] was well-informed, diligent, and did his research well." Zito's nice words about Kalra come in pretty stark contrast to the stories about Herrera in the past few weeks: first she hires then fires a staffer, then she puts the (apparent) kibosh on her former opponent's dream of becoming a Planning Commissioner...it sounds like she'll fit in fine on the 18th floor...

The Merc’s Internal Affairs heard from former Congressman Tom Campbell – coming clean to say, yep, he’s considering a run for the Guv’s seat. His two biggest challengers right now for the Republican nomination include eBay's Meg Whitman and Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner – along with their giant pocketbooks. Just some inside baseball stuff -- Meg Whitman leaked her possible run for Governor in an AP story that was covered State- and Nation-wide. Perhaps Campbell should think about a larger platform to make such announcements. Internal Affairs is widely read...but...

Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio may have been feeling a little saucy last week when he told the Merc. he would not be speaking with attorney James McManis about the McEnery as lobbyist saga and called the complaint a joke. McManis told the Merc.’s, “I don't think Pierluigi Whatever-his-name-is is serving the city by making cracks like that." McManis didn't go on to say, "...and his beard is weird..."

Internal Affairs also dishes on recommendations by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of prominent Latinos to fill the Cabinet shoes of embarrassed New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson when he had to withdraw his bid to be Obama’s Commerce Secretary. Among the locals nominated by LULAC is Hector Ruiz, whose claim to fame having been fired after driving AMD into the ground. IA was also a little mystified to see "Manny Diaz" listed until they realized it wasn’t San Jose’s own on again/off again politician/lobbyist.

Santa Clara University is celebrating the success of alumni Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and former Congressman Leon Panetta (a.k.a. Leo McGarry) as President-elect Obama taps them to head to D.C. with the administration.

The Merc.’s Patty Fisher jumps into the political tug-of-war over Moffett Field's Hangar One. The Navy says preservationists can keep it – after they strip it bare of walls leaving only a giant exoskeleton behind. The new landlord, NASA, sent Deputy Director Lewis Braxton a note to say that unless the hangar was in use-able condition, NASA didn’t want any part of it – and that restoration was part of the deal. The costs are dizzying with $30 million to tear away the old siding and possibly $15 million to get something else installed. If only there was someone who had local knowledge of the issue, held an elective office, and had a connection to the Navy...

Violence is erupting around San Jose. A hostage situation in Councilmember Judy Chirco’s District ended late Sunday night without injuries. In Councilmember Kansen Chu’s North San Jose District, two people were stabbed at a mobile home park. Perhaps downtown is the safest place to be...with the number of arrests and all...

Around Silicon Valley, elected officials shake off the last vestiges’ of the holidays and begin the New Year with a vengeance. San Jose’s City Council will review the $1 billion dollar losses in pension funds, attempt to correct chronic deficits, and review a cost-benefit analysis for the Convention Center. Sounds like fun... New Supervisors Dave Cortese and George Shirakawa, Jr. take their seats for the first time and Liz Kniss takes the helm as Board Chair.

Tenet Healthcare, which is operating Community Hospital, has given Los Gatos residents until April 10 to use the hospital and emergency room. After that, the doors close until the new owner, El Camino Hospital moves in June 1. The Town's Mayor Mike Wasserman said of the temporary closing, "My concern is that the residents of Los Gatos know what's going on and where to go in an emergency." The El Camino Hospital District Board will meet Wednesday to talk about the acquisition, and perhaps an early opening?

Proving it’s never too late to give bad news, the Morgan Hill Times reported yesterday the Salvation Army was burglarized nearly two weeks before Christmas losing bicycles, food, and toys intended for needy families. Really? You are running a story a month late?